Yes, that is kale from my garden. The babies are my granddaughters, and the other people photos are my husband and I after a Color Me RAD run. The duck pond photo is one of my favorites. I was trying to capture the lovely blooming tree that was overhanging the pond, but instead ended up with an even better shot (in my opinion), showing the colorful reflection of the tree in the water.

The second one is of the Matterhorn at Disneyland. I loved the contrast of the dark clouds with the "snow" of the mountain.

The color run had stations scattered throughout the race. At each station, volunteers would throw colored corn starch on the runners. Each station was a different color, but apparently the volunteers at the orange station did an exceptionally good job!

No, it is the Matterhorn at Disneyland. What struck me more was the clouds--if we see clouds, they are usually light, white, non-rain-bearing ones--and I liked the contrast that the Matterhorn made against the dark clouds. I guess I should have realized that most people would view the "mountain", and not the clouds, as the main subject.

I'm a very slow runner. The color stations are scattered throughout the run, so it's not a constant bombardment of color. It doesn't actually physically hurt--imagine running through a cloud of flour. I was concerned about being able to breathe, though. We just wore bandanas around our necks, and pulled them up to cover our mouths and noses as we went through the color stations. Most people ran without bandanas, though. We also ran with sunglasses, as did most everyone. One station did mix things up a bit, and mixed the color with water and then just sprayed everyone. I actually preferred that.

Loved all of your pictures -- the ne of the Matterhorn reminded me of being young and coming down I-5 looking for it -- when I could see that I knew we were almost there. Wow -- that first time was 49 years ago! Time does fly.

I am a bit sad that somewhere in this country there are beautiful blooms and gardens growing, while I sit surrounded by a foot of snow that won't go away and temperatures afraid of hitting the double digits. I am very happy, though, that someone as nice as you gets to be there and take such gorgeous photos of something besides snow. They are so pretty. Especially the ducks. Your broccoli looks good and bug-free, too. Those granddaughters are growing so fast. Looks like you were able to avoid most of the color in the color run. I've seen people completely covered from head to toe after running that race!

1. I'm thankful for cooperative return policies. Several weeks ago, I mentioned that I had to return a range that I had purchased, and I hoped that the particular range was just a lemon and that the replacement wouldn't have the same problem. Well, unfortunately, it did. On the bright side, the store quickly picked up the second range and refunded my money. I'm putting appliance purchases on the back burner (!) for the moment.

2. I'm thankful for temples. I went one morning this week to the temple. I'm always amazed at how much insight comes in just an hour or two of reflection.

3. I'm thankful for my sister. She and her family came to Utah to spend Thanksgiving with her in-laws, and I got a chance to see her and her family on Wednesday. The last time I saw her was in January at our grandma's 100th birthday celebration. We feel lucky to have two visits in one year!

Me in a Nutshell

In the summer of 2018, after 29 years of raising children, my husband and I (as he puts it) "finally grew up and moved out on our own." I loved those years, but I also love the empty-nest adventure. No matter what your stage of life, I invite you to join me in living life with a thankful heart.